Machine for separating shoes from lasts



Jn. 24, 1939. j J. HARRINGTON, JR 2,144,524

MACHINE FOR SEPARATING SHOES FROM LASTS Jan. 24, 1939. .1. HARRINGTON.JR'

MACHINE FOR SEPARATING SHOES FROM LASTS Filed June 7, 1957' 2sheets-sheet 2 Patented Jan. 24, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE2,144,624 MACHINE FOR SEPrRATING SHOES FROM STS Application June 7,1937, Serial No. 146,800

21 Claims.

This invention relates to machines for separating shoes from lasts andis herein illustrated and described as embodied in a treadle-operatedmachine having a member which engages the rear portion of a shoe andforces it off the last.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved machineof the character under consideration.

In accordance with a feature of the invention,

lo and as herein illustrated, the member which engages the rear portionof a shoe and another member which is engageable with the forepart ofthe sole of the shoe are both mounted upon a carrier which is operatedto cause the first-men- E tioned member to raise the rear portion of theshoe relatively to the last and to cause the second-mentioned member tobreak the last by pressure applied through the forepart of the sole ofthe shoe. In the illustrated construction the 2O member which engagesthe rear portion of the shoe comprises a friction pad and both membersare mounted upon a lever having its fulcrum coaxial with the hinge ofthe last, so that as the friction pad is being moved in one direction toraise the rear end of the shoe the sole-engaging member will be moved inthe opposite direction to break the last. In accordance with a furtherfeature the fulcrum supportof the above-mentioned lever is movable toenable the lever to move forwardly with respect to the shoe after therear portion of the shoe has cleared the last so that the friction padmay urge the shoe forwardly off the last.

These and other features of the invention comprising certaincombinations and arrangements of parts will be apparent from thefollowing description of a preferred embodiment of the invention shownin the drawings, in which Fig. l is a side elevational view of the upperportion of the improved machine;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the lower portion of the machine;

Fig. 3 is a plan View of the machine; and

Fig. 4 is a View in end elevation of a portion of the machine looking inthe direction of the arrow A of Fig. 3.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the supporting structure of the machineconsists of a frame lll! adapted to rest upon the floor and carrying ahead l2 having a horizontal shelf i4. Secured upon the up-per surface ofthe shelf I4 by clamping screws I6 is a block I8 in which is mounted inupstanding position a last pin 2G. The last pin, which is threaded intothe block I8 to provide for heightwise adjustment, has an integralhexagonal collar 2l to facilitate turning, and is secured in adjustedposition by a lock nut H4. The block I8 is provided with a pair oflongitudinal slots 22 through which the screws E6 extend so as toprovide for adjustment oi the 5 position of the last pin forwardly andrearwardly.

Pivotally mounted upon a pin 24 in the head l2 is a link 26. A pin 28rotatably mounted in the upper end of the link 26 constitutes a ful- 10crum for a lever 30 into which the pin 23 is threaded. The lever 30which extends forwardiy and rearwardly of the machine and is positionedto one side of the last pin 20, serves as a carrier for theshoe-engaging members presently to be l5 described. The lever 30 isnormally supported in a horizontal position by a stationary abutment 32extending upwardly from the head l2, and is held against the'abutment 32by a spring latch 34 which engages a notch 36 formed in the abut- 20ment. Formed in the lever 3B rearward of the fulcrum 28 and on the innerside of the lever, which is the side adjacent to the last pin Ell, is alongitudinal guideway 38 in which is mounted a slide block 40. A pair ofplates 42 secured to 25 the lever 30 and extending partially over theguideway 38 retain the slide block et within the guideway. Extendingfrom the slide block Il@ is an arm 44 upon which is mounted a metalholder 46 for a U-shaped rubber pad 48 adapted 30 to engage the rearportion of a shoe upper. The holder 46 is retained upon the arm 44 by apair of screws 50 threaded into the arm and having washers 5| extendingover the upper surface of the pad-holder. The screws 5t do not clamp 35the holder 46 to the arm 44 but afford a limited freedom of lateralmovement as the pad 48 engages the shoe, the holder 46 being providedwith laterally elongated openings 52 through which the screws 5U extend.40

Fulcrumed upon a pin 54 secured in the forward portion of the lever 3l]is a bellcrank 56 having an upwardly extending arm connected to theslide block 40 by a rod 53. The other arm of the bell crank 56 isconnected by a down- 45 wardly extending rod 60 to a treadle 62fulcrumed upon a pin 64 secured in the lower portion of the frame ID.The treadle 62 is normally held up by a tension spring 68 having itsupper end anchored upon a screw 68 secured in 50 the head l2. This samescrew 58 is employed also as a set screw to secure the pin 24 in thehead l2. The upward limit of movement of the treadle 62 is determined bythe upper edge of an opening in the frame I0 through which the 55treadle extends (Fig. 2). Downward movement of the treadle 62 is limitedby an adjustable stop 10 in the lower portion of the frame I8. A tensionspring 12 having one end secured to the bell crank 56 and its oppositeend anchored to the lever 30 tends to maintain the slide block 48 at therearward end of the slide 38.

A sleeve 16 having a knurled head 18 to lacilitate its adjustment isthreaded into a block 14 mounted upon the outer side of the lever 38.Journaled in the sleeve 16 and retained therein against axial movementby collars 'i9 is a pin 88. Extending radially from a hub 8| securedupon the pin 80 is an arm 82 the outer end portion 84 of which is in theform of a wedge-shaped block having an inclined lower face (Fig 1I).This inclined lower face of the block 84- is covered by a rubber pad 86the ends of which are secured to the upper surface of the block 84 byscrews 81 and clamping strips 89. A relatively weak tension spring 88having one end secured to the arm 82 and its other end anchoredto thelever 30 tends to urge the arm: 82 in a clockwise direction, as viewedin Fig. 3, or rearwardly with respect to a shoe on a last supported bythe last pin 28. Such rearward movement of the arm 82 is limited by anarm 90 extending from. the upper collar 19 which, in turn, is secured tothe pin 80, the arm 96 having a downward extension 92 which. engages theblock 14. In order to provide for longitudinal adjustment of the block14 on the lever 30 the block has formed in it longitudinal slots 94throughV which extend screws 96- which clamp the block to the level'.

The link 26 is urged rearwardly by a tension spring 91 having one endsecured to the link and its other end anchored to a pin 98 extendingfrom the head I2. A lug IEIU which also extends from the head I2 carriesa rubber bumper I 82 l which serves as an abutment for an extension I84on the link 26. The bumper |02. is so positioned upon the head I2 thatwhen the link 26 is held thereagainst by the spring 91 the latch 34 willengage the notch 36.

Forward swinging movement of the link 26 is limited by a hook |06adjustably threaded into the head I2. Threaded into a lug |08 formed onone side of the link 26 is a stop screw IIO which is engageable withrthe under surface of the lever 30 to limit downward tiltingA movement ofthe lever as shown in Fig. l. The screw II 8 is secured in any desiredposition o1" adjustment by a lock nut II2.

In operating the machine a. last L having a shoe S thereon is mounted ininverted position upon the last pin 2U. The weak spring 88 yieldsreadily to enable the operator to push the padded block 84 out of theway, which he usually does with the wrist of the hand grasping the shoe.

l As soon as he has finished mounting the last and shoe upon the lastpin the spring 88 will bring the pad 86 into engagement with the treadsurface of the sole. It will be noted that the pad 86 is self-adjusting,inasmuch as it will automatically nd its proper operating positionregardless of the size of. the shoe or the slope of the sole. The undersurface of the block 84 has a slope generally similar' to that assumed`by the sole of a shoe about to be operated upon, insuring an adequatearea of contact between the pa'd and the sole and also, by reason of thewedging action of the pad, insuring rm contact between the pad and thesole notwithstanding the weakness of the spring 88'. The block I8 shouldbe l adjusted (for the rst shoe of each lot) to the right or left, asviewed in Fig. 1, so as to bring the hinge of the last L substantiallyinto alinement with the axis of the fulcrum 28. The last pin 28 shouldalso be adjusted heightwise to bring the rear portion of the shoe upperinto proper relation to the pad 48.

The operator now depresses the treadle 62, causing a downward pull onthe rod 60. This tends to tilt the lever 36 and thus gives rise to aheightwise component of force tending to move the friction pad 48. Italso operates through the bell crank 56 to set up a forward component offorce acting upon the pad 48. Immediate tilting of the lever 38 aboutits fulcrum 28 is prevented by the spring latch 34. The rst effect,therefore, of the pull in the rod 6U is to rotate the bell crank 56 in aclockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. l, until the friction pad 48engages the rear portion of the shoe upper, further rotary movement ofthe bell crank thus being arrested. The pad 48 thus nds its properoperating position. regardlessV of the size of the shoe. The downwardpull of the rod 6U acting through the bell crank fulcrum 56 thereupontends. with increasing force to tilt the lever 30 in a clockwisedirection. about its fulcrum 28, such tilting being resisted, however,bythe spring latch 34 until the pad 48 has developed an adequatefrictional gripping pressure against the rear of the shoe upper. yields,enabling the lever 30 to tilt. As the friction pad 48 rises it carriesthe rear portion of the shoe upwardly off the last while at the sametime the pad 86 bears downwardly upon 'the tread surface of the forepartof the sole of the shoe .and thereby breaks the last. The shoe-engagingmembers thus operate in unison, each to aid the other. As the pad 48moves upwardly it will still be held against the rear of the shoe bypressure on the treadle and, being movable relatively to the lever 30,it will not be constrained to travel in a path concentric with thefulcrum 28 but will be free to follow the heightwise curvature of therear end of the last. rlhe path of travel of the pad 48 during thisportion of the operation will thus be determined by the shape of thelast.

The stop screw III) should be so adjusted as to engage the lever 30 andthereby to prevent further tilting movement as soon as the rear end ofthe shoe upper has cleared the last. last by this time will have snappedinto broken position, and the pad 86 will no longer bear against theshoe bottom, or at least will not exert any considerable degree ofpressure thereagainst. The block 84 is now free to swing downwardly outof the way under the inuence of its own weight against the tension ofthe relatively weak spring 88.

As the lever 36 tilts about its fulcrum 28 the treadle rod 68 will swingfrom a vertical to an inclined position and will exert upon the lever 3Unot merely a straight downwardV pull eifect therefore of the swingingmovement of The laten s4 then the link 26 will be to raise the pad 48slightly as the pad swings forwardly, increasing slightly the clearancebetween the bottom of the last and the Aedge of the upper at and nearthe heel end of the shoe as the pad 48 pushes the shoe forwardly. Whenthe axis of the pin 28 is directly over the axis of the pin 24 the pad48 will move horizontally forward, and the subsequent movement of thepad 48 will have a slight downward component. Fig. 1 indicates bydotdash lines the initial positions of the shoe and of the last and bydash lines the positions of the shoe and of the forepart of the lastwhen the operation has nearly been completed, the heel portion of thelast at all times occupying its initial position. At the stage of theoperation represented by dash lines the last is completely broken; thelink 26 has swung forwardly almost to the extreme position determined bythe hook |06; the heel end of the shoe has been raised clear of the lastand the shoe has been pushed bodily forward until it is about ready todrop oi the last. It will be noted also that at this stage of theoperation the treadle rod 60 is no longer vertical but inclinesrearwardly from its connection to the treadle to its connection to thebell crank 56. The length of the link 26 should be such as to provide anarcuate path for the pin 28 similar to the path which the shoe willnaturally take .as it is pushed forwardly off the broken last. Adistance of about one foot from the axis of the pin 24 tothe axis of thepin 28 will insure the desired path of travel.

Further depression of the treadle will bring the link 26 against thehook E66. The shoe is now free of the last and may be allowed to dropinto a suitable receptacle or may be taken from the last by hand. Theoperator ordinarily before releasing the treadle will straighten out thebroken last and remove it from the last pin. The last may, however, beleft in position without interfering with the return of the variousparts of the machine to their initial positions. Upon release of thetreadle the spring 9'! will rst return the link 26. As soon as theextension HB4 comes into engagement with the bumper M32 the lever Si!will return from tilted to horizontal position and the slide 4i) willmove rearwardly in its guideway. When the lever 3Q engages the abutment32 the spring latch 34 will snap into the notch 35 and the machine willbe ready for another operation.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desiretosecure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A machine for separating shoes from lasts comprising a support for alast with a shoe thereon, a member engageable with the rear portion ofthe shoe, a member engageable with the forepart of the sole of the shoe,a carrier for said shoe-engageable members, and means for operating saidcarrier to cause the mst-mentioned shoe-engageable member to raise therear portion of the shoe relatively tol the last and to cause thesecond-mentioned shoe-engageable member to break the last by pressurethrough the forepart of the sole of the shoe.

2. A machine fo-r separating shoes from lasts comprising a support for alast with a shoe thereon, a member engageable with the rear portion ofthe shoe, a member engageable with the bottom of the forepart of theshoe, a lever upon which said shoe-engageable members are mounted, afulcrum for said lever between said shoeengageable members, and meansfor tilting said lever about said fulcrum toI cause the first-mentionedshoe-engageable member to raise the rear portion of the shoe relativelyto the last and to cause the second-mentioned shoe-engageable member tobreak the last by pressure against the bottom oi the forepart of theshoe.

3. A machine for separating shoes from lasts comprising a support for alast with a shoe thereon, a member engageable with the rear portion ofthe shoe, a member engageable with the forepart o-f the sole of theshoe, a lever upon which said shoe-engageable members are mounted, afulcrum for said lever substantially coaxial with the hinge of the last,a treadle, and connecting means between said treadle and said lever fortilting said lever about its fulcrum to cause the first-mentionedshoe-engageable member to raise the rear portion of the shoe relativelyto the last and to cause the second-mentioned shoe-engageable member tobreak the last by pressure against the bottom of the forepart of theshoe.

4. A machine for separating shoes from lasts comprising a support for alast with a shoe thereon, a friction pad engageable with the rearportion of the shoe upper, a member engageable with the forepart of thesole of the shoe, a carrier for said pad and for said shoe-engageablemember, and means for bringing said pad into fric-tional grippingengagement with the rear portion of the shoe upper and operating saidcarrier to cause the pad to raise the rear portion of the shoe from thelast and to cause the sole-engageable member to break the last.

5. A machine for separating shoes from lasts comprising a support for alast with a shoe thereon, a lever, a friction pad mounted in said leverfor relative movement thereto, a member i carried by said lever andengageable with the forepart of the sole of the shoe, a fulcrum for saidlever, and means for moving said pad relatively to said lever to bringsaid pad into frictional gripping engagement with the rear portion ofthe shoe upper and for thereupon tilting said lever about its fulcrum tocause the pad to raise the rear portion of the shoe from the last and tocause the sole-engageable member to break the last.

6. A machine for separating shoes from lasts comprising a support for alast with a shoe thereon, a lever, a fulcrum for said lever, said leverhaving a longitudinal guideway positioned on one side of said fulcrum, apadded friction member mounted for movement in said guideway, a membercarried by said lever on the other side of said fulcrum for engaging theforepart of the sole of the shoe, a bell crank pivotally mounted on saidlever, a connecting rod between said friction member and one arm of saidbell crank, and operating means connected to the other arm of said bellcrank for rotating said bell crank to move said friction member intofric-- tional engagement with the rear portion of the shoe upper, andthen, When movement of the friction member is arrested by engagementwith the shoe, for tilting said lever about its fulcrum to cause thefriction member to raise the rear portion of the shoe from the last andto cause the sole-engaging member to break the last by pressuretransmitted through the sole of the shoe.

7. A machine for separating shoes from lasts comprising a support for alast with a shoe thereon, a member engageable with the rear portion ofthe shoe, a member engageable with the forepart of the sole of the shoe,a carrier for said shoe-engageable members, and means for operating`said carrier iirst to cause the first-mentioned shoe-engageable memberto raise the rear portion of the shoe relatively to the last and tocause the second-mentioned member to break the last by pressure throughthe sole of the shoe and then, when the rear portion of the shoe hascleared the last, to cause the inst-mentioned member to urge the shoeforwardly off the last.

8. A machine for separating shoes from lasts comprising a support for alast with a shoe thereon, a friction member engageable with the rearportion of the shoe, a member engageable with the iorepart oi the soleof the shoe, a lever upon which said shoe-engageable members aremounted, a fulcrum for said lever between said shoe-engageable members,a movable support for said fulcrum, and means operable iirst to bringsaid friction member into frictional gripping engagement with the rearportion of the shoe upper, then to tilt said lever about its fulcrum tocause the friction member to raise the rear portion of the shoe from thelast and to cause the sole-engageable member to break the last, andthen, when the rear portion of the shoe clears the last, to mfve saidlever bodily with its fulcrum in dii-7c .n to urge the shoe forwardly011 the last.

9. A machine for separating shoes from lasts comprising a support forthe heel end of a last with a shoe thereon, a shoe-removing tool, meansfor operating said shoe-removing tool rst to engage the rear portion ofthe shoe, then to raise the rear portion of the shoe relatively to thelast and then to push the shoe forwardly off the last, and means forbreaking the last While said shoeremoving tool is raising the rearportion of the shoe relatively to the last.

10. A machine for separating shoes from lasts comprising a support forthe heel end of a last with a shoe thereon, a shoe-removing tool, meansfor operating said shoe-removing tool first to engage the rear portionof the shoe, then to raise the rear portion of the shoe relatively tothe last ,j and then to push the shoe forwardly oi the last,

and means for breaking the last while said shoeremoving tool is raisingthe rear portion of the shoe relatively to the last, said operatingmeans being constructed and arranged to cause said shoe-removing toolwhen pushing the shoe forwardly on" the last to travel in an arcuatepath the curvature of which conforms generally to the shape of thebroken last.

11. In a machine for separating shoes from lasts, a support for a lastwith a shoe thereon, a member engageable with the forepart of the soleof the shoe, resilient means for moving said soleengageable member froman inoperative position into a position of engagement with the sole, andmeans for urging said sole-engageable member against the sole to breakthe last.

12. In a machine for separating shoes from lasts, a support for a lastwith a shoe thereon, a pad engageable with the forepart of the sole ofthe shoe, a pivotal support constructed and arranged to enable said padto move in a direction generally lengthwise of the shoe but inclined tothe forepart of the sole of the shoe, a spring for urging said pad aboutsaid pivotal support into engagement with the forepart of the sole ofthe shoe, and means for urging said pivotal support in a directionheightwise of the shoe to cause said pad to break the last.

13. A machine for separating shoes from lasts comprising a support for alast with a shoe thereon; a leverV mounted for tiltingv movement in aplane' heightwise with respect to the shoe, a sh'oeeremovi'ng toolcarried by said lever with provision for longitudinal movementrelatively thereto, and: operating means constructed and arranged firstto move said shoe-removing tool longitudinally along said lever intooperative engagem'ent withithe shoe and then to tilt said levertoicause" the-shoe-removing tool to urge the shoe oit the last.

14; Amachine for separating shoes from lasts comprisingA a support for alast with a shoe thereon, a lever mounted for tilting movement in aplane heightwise with' respect to the shoe, said lever havingialongitudinal guideway, a shoe-removing tool'. movable in saidV guideway,a bell crank fulcrurnediY upon said lever, a connecting rodbetween onearm of said bell crank and said shoe-removing tool, and an operatingconnection to the:A otherarm of said bell crank whereby the forcetransmitted4 through said operating con` nection will serve iirst torotate the bell crank until the' shoe-removing tool comes intoengagement with' the shoe and then to tilt the lever to impartaninoperative'movement to said shoe-removing tool;`

15. A` machine' forseparating shoes from lasts comprising ai support fora last with a shoe thereon, a levermounted for tilting movement in aplane heightwise with respect to the shoe, said lever having'alongitudinal guideway, a slide in said'guidewamafriction pad carried bysaid slide, a bell crank fulcrumed upon said lever, a connecting rodbetween one arm of said bell crank and said slide, a treadle, and a rodconnecting the other arm of said bell crank to said treadle wherebyoperation of the treadle will rst rotate said bell crank to bring saidpad into frictional gripping engagement with the shoe and will then tiltthe lever to cause the pad to urge the shoe off the last.

16. A machine for separating shoes from lasts comprising a support for alast with a shoe thereon, a lever mounted for tilting movement in aplane heightwise with respect to the shoe, said lever having alongitudinal guideway, a frictional shoe-removing tool movable in saidguideway, a bell crank fulcrumed upon said lever, a connecting rodbetween one arm of said bell crank and said shoe-removing tool,operating means constructed and` arranged to exert force upon the otherarm of the bell crank tending to rotate the bell crank, and a springlatch tending to prevent tilting of said lever, said spring latch beingconstructed and arranged to yield to enable the lever tol tilt inresponse to the force exerted by saidy operating means when rotation ofthe bell crank has been arrested by the shoe-removing tool engaging theshoe with frictional gripping pressure, such tilting of the leverserving to impart to the shoe-removing tool an operative movementtending to urge the shoe off the last.

17. A machine for separating shoes from lasts comprising a' support fora last with a shoe thereon, a lever, a fulcrum upon which said lever ismounted for tilting movement in a plane heightwise with respect to theshoe, means for supporting said fulcrum for movement in a path generallylengthwise Ywith respect to the shoe, a shoeremoving tool carried bysaid lever and movable longitudinally with respect thereto, andoperating means constructed and arranged iirst to move saidshoe-removing tool along said lever into operative engagement with therear portion of the shoe, then to tilt said lever about said fulcrum tocause the shoe-removing tool to move the rear portion of the shoe in aheightwise direction ofi the last, and then when the rear portion of theshoe has cleared the last to move said lever with its fulcrum bodilyforward to cause said shoe-removing tool to push the shoe forwardly offthe last.

18. A machine for separating shoes from lasts comprising an upstandinglast pin for supporting in inverted position a last with a shoe thereon,a lever, a fulcrum upon which said lever is mounted for heightwisetilting movement, a link upon which said fulcrum is mounted for arcuatemovement, a pivotal bearing for said link located below the positionoccupied by a last on said last pin, a shoe-removing tool carried bysaid lever and movable longitudinally with respect thereto, andoperating means constructed and arrang-ed rst to move said shoe-removingtool along said lever into operative engagement with the rear portion ofthe shoe, then to tilt said lever about said fulcrum to cause theshoeremoving tool to move the rear portion of the shoe upwardly off thelast, and then when the rear portion of the shcle has cleared the lastto move said lever and its fulcrum bodily forward in an arcuate pathabout the pivotal bearing of said link to cause said shoe-removing toolto push the shoe forwardly off the last.

19. A machine for separating shoes from lasts comprising a support for alast with a shoe thereon, a friction pad engageable with the rearportion of the shoe, operating means constructed and arranged to exertupon the pad a force having a forward and a heightwise componentrelatively to the shoe, and yieldable means for holding said pad frommovement under the influence of said heightwise component until saidforward component has caused said pad to bear with frictional grippingpressure against the shoe, whereupon said yi-eldable means will releasesaid pad to the influence of said. heightwise component which will thencause the pad to move the rear portion of the shoe off the last.

20. A machine for separating shoes from lasts comprising a support for alast with a shoe thereon, a shoe-removing tool constructed and arrangedfor movement in one direction from an inoperative to an operativeposition and for an operative movement in a diierent direction,operating means constructed and arranged to exert upon said tool a forcehaving components in each of said directions, and means for constrainingmovement of said tool under the influence o-f said force to therst-mentioned direction until the tool has arrived at operative positionand for thereupon releasing said tool to the influence of the componentof force in the second-mentioned direction to enable the tool to performon operative movement.

21. A machine for separating shoes from lasts comprising a support for alast with a shoe thereon, a shoe-removing tool constructed and arrangedfor movement in one direction from an inoperative to an operativeposition and for an operative movement in a diierent direction,operating means constructed and arranged to exert upon said tool a forcehaving components in each of said directions, and a latch for holdingsaid tool against movement in the secondmentioned direction until saidtool under the influence of said force has arrived at operativeposition, said latch being constructed and arranged thereupon to releasesaid tool for operative movement in the second-mentioned direction.

JOSEPH HARRINGTON, JR.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

Patent No. 2,11414., ho Jarniaryl 21+, 1959,

JOSEPH HARRINGTON, JR.

It is' hereby certified that error appears in the printed specificationof the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page n,second column, line 25, claim ILLL, for the word "inoperativen readoperative; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with thiscorrection therein that the same may conform to the record of the casein the Patent Officeg signed and sealed this 19th day of september, AD.1959.

` Henry Van Arsdale, (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents.

